[ashleyjanney28]

Hello Everyone,

About three days ago my fiancŽ went to our local animal shelter and decided to foster a 1 year old beagle mix. We plan on adopting her but we need help with multiple problems. The shelter didn't have much information about her except for this:

-shes about a year old (still does the puppy biting/nipping thing)
-she was fostered 3 times and 2 of the people brought her back, they don't know what happened with the last person. She was micro-chiped and when she returned to the shelter the 3rd time she had been shot. (no major physical damage was done)
- she has anxiety problems.
- she's a beagle mix, not sure what exactly but she looks like she's got pointer in her as well.

Problems:
She's had about 3-4 accidents in the apartment. A majority of the time she refuses to go on walks and when we do get her outside she tries to hide under cars. She also pulls extremley hard to get back home. We've taken her to the park with our other dog and let her run inside of the tennis court but even with that she refuses to go and tries to hide behind one of us. How do I show her not to be afraid to go out?
She's had multiple owners, she knows only Sit and Stay but also tugs her leash when she wants to go out. That's ties in with my first problem. She wants to go out but won't leave... am I missing something?
She's got to be the center of attention, She has jumped on us and bit our heads and necks when we were paying attention to the other dog, not in an aggressive way but it still hurts. Even when we try to calm her down and tell her no she tries playing and biting us or our other dog.

This is the second dog we've adopted and we had a couple similar issues in the past it just wasn't this severe. We've become attatched to this sweet animal and I refuse to send it back like everyone else did.

Does anyone have any advice? Please and Thank you =)

[Aurora_Bell]

Let me start by saying thank you! For adopting this little troubled one.
Sounds like to me she was a hunting dog who didn’t make the cut. She was probably very timid, and not useful for what her owners had intended for her.
Beagles are a very stubborn breed, but once you break them of their bad habits they can make wonderful companions. The thing with rescues is they come with baggage and they often need time to come out of their shells. Being in so many multiple homes would have been very hard for her, and she probably had many expectations from those owners, now she isn’t sure what is expected of her from you. I would suggest getting her enrolled in obedience classes as soon as possible. Obedience is a great way for you to establish yourself as the alpha role as well as an excellent bonding experience for the two of you. It will help you learn how to teach her-- her basic commands in appositive way. The more commands the dog knows the happier they will be.

For now, just make everything a positive experience. Bring a handful of kibble with you on your walks, and every 4-8 seconds give her a good girl with a piece of kibble. For the first few days don’t expect her to pick up on any serious commands. Just let her know she is safe and you are happy with what she is doing. It will take time but gradually over the next few weeks, start asking more and more from her in terms of commands. Start with sit, down and work up to stay. I wouldn’t pile too much on her plate just yet.

As for housebreaking, this may be your hardest obstacle to overcome. I suggest investing in a good crate. It only needs to be big enough for her to stand, lie down and turn around. Offer her treats and dinner in her crate, but don’t shut the door; do not use the crate as punishment, only as a house breaking tool. She will see this as her safe happy place, and if she needs her alone time she should feel comfortable enough to go in on her own. While you are away make sure to crate. She will have accidents at first, and you may need to strip the crate down to nothing but the bottom pan. Make sure you are using a good enzyme cleaner such as vinegar and water. I also like to add a few drops of tea tree oil. The Tea Tree Oil acts as a disinfectant as well. The main thing here is to use lots of positive reinforcement. Constant praise in showing her that you are happy with what she is doing. Any time she shows good behavior reward, reward, reward. It doesn’t always have to be treats or food, it can be a toy or lots of snuggles and pets. For training I would use a handful of kibble.

I hope some of this helps. I commend you for choosing the adoption option and saving this baby’s life! You are a wonderful person. You have a long road ahead of you but the reward will be the best you have ever had.

We love pics! :D Please feel free to ask more questions if you need clarification or more help!